Articles tagged with Theoretical Physics
Comprehensive exploration of living organisms, biological systems, and life processes across all scales from molecules to ecosystems. Encompasses cutting-edge research in biology, genetics, molecular biology, ecology, biochemistry, microbiology, botany, zoology, evolutionary biology, genomics, and biotechnology. Investigates cellular mechanisms, organism development, genetic inheritance, biodiversity conservation, metabolic processes, protein synthesis, DNA sequencing, CRISPR gene editing, stem cell research, and the fundamental principles governing all forms of life on Earth.
Comprehensive medical research, clinical studies, and healthcare sciences focused on disease prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Encompasses clinical medicine, public health, pharmacology, epidemiology, medical specialties, disease mechanisms, therapeutic interventions, healthcare innovation, precision medicine, telemedicine, medical devices, drug development, clinical trials, patient care, mental health, nutrition science, health policy, and the application of medical science to improve human health, wellbeing, and quality of life across diverse populations.
Comprehensive investigation of human society, behavior, relationships, and social structures through systematic research and analysis. Encompasses psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, political science, linguistics, education, demography, communications, and social research methodologies. Examines human cognition, social interactions, cultural phenomena, economic systems, political institutions, language and communication, educational processes, population dynamics, and the complex social, cultural, economic, and political forces shaping human societies, communities, and civilizations throughout history and across the contemporary world.
Fundamental study of the non-living natural world, matter, energy, and physical phenomena governing the universe. Encompasses physics, chemistry, earth sciences, atmospheric sciences, oceanography, materials science, and the investigation of physical laws, chemical reactions, geological processes, climate systems, and planetary dynamics. Explores everything from subatomic particles and quantum mechanics to planetary systems and cosmic phenomena, including energy transformations, molecular interactions, elemental properties, weather patterns, tectonic activity, and the fundamental forces and principles underlying the physical nature of reality.
Practical application of scientific knowledge and engineering principles to solve real-world problems and develop innovative technologies. Encompasses all engineering disciplines, technology development, computer science, artificial intelligence, environmental sciences, agriculture, materials applications, energy systems, and industrial innovation. Bridges theoretical research with tangible solutions for infrastructure, manufacturing, computing, communications, transportation, construction, sustainable development, and emerging technologies that advance human capabilities, improve quality of life, and address societal challenges through scientific innovation and technological progress.
Study of the practice, culture, infrastructure, and social dimensions of science itself. Addresses how science is conducted, organized, communicated, and integrated into society. Encompasses research funding mechanisms, scientific publishing systems, peer review processes, academic ethics, science policy, research institutions, scientific collaboration networks, science education, career development, research programs, scientific methods, science communication, and the sociology of scientific discovery. Examines the human, institutional, and cultural aspects of scientific enterprise, knowledge production, and the translation of research into societal benefit.
Comprehensive study of the universe beyond Earth, encompassing celestial objects, cosmic phenomena, and space exploration. Includes astronomy, astrophysics, planetary science, cosmology, space physics, astrobiology, and space technology. Investigates stars, galaxies, planets, moons, asteroids, comets, black holes, nebulae, exoplanets, dark matter, dark energy, cosmic microwave background, stellar evolution, planetary formation, space weather, solar system dynamics, the search for extraterrestrial life, and humanity's efforts to explore, understand, and unlock the mysteries of the cosmos through observation, theory, and space missions.
Comprehensive examination of tools, techniques, methodologies, and approaches used across scientific disciplines to conduct research, collect data, and analyze results. Encompasses experimental procedures, analytical methods, measurement techniques, instrumentation, imaging technologies, spectroscopic methods, laboratory protocols, observational studies, statistical analysis, computational methods, data visualization, quality control, and methodological innovations. Addresses the practical techniques and theoretical frameworks enabling scientists to investigate phenomena, test hypotheses, gather evidence, ensure reproducibility, and generate reliable knowledge through systematic, rigorous investigation across all areas of scientific inquiry.
Study of abstract structures, patterns, quantities, relationships, and logical reasoning through pure and applied mathematical disciplines. Encompasses algebra, calculus, geometry, topology, number theory, analysis, discrete mathematics, mathematical logic, set theory, probability, statistics, and computational mathematics. Investigates mathematical structures, theorems, proofs, algorithms, functions, equations, and the rigorous logical frameworks underlying quantitative reasoning. Provides the foundational language and tools for all scientific fields, enabling precise description of natural phenomena, modeling of complex systems, and the development of technologies across physics, engineering, computer science, economics, and all quantitative sciences.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson warns of a growing science, engineering, and technology talent gap in the US. She emphasizes the need for a national commitment to develop more science, engineering, and technology talent from underrepresented groups.
Researchers develop kinetic antiferromagnetism, solving decades-long problem in theoretical physics. The discovery has practical applications in superconductors, magnetic storage devices, and other areas of materials science.
Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed a theory explaining why nanowires thin away at non-zero temperatures. The discovery reveals that higher surface tensions stabilize the wires, making them suitable for repeated use. Copper is identified as the best metal for creating stable nanowires.
Sir Samuel Frederick Edwards and Patrick A. Lee are being honored with the ICTP Dirac Medal for their groundbreaking work in polymer physics, spin glass theory, and many-body systems. The award, established in 1985, is given to scientists who have made significant contributions to theoretical physics and mathematics.
Martin Klein received the Pais Award for his groundbreaking research on the history of 19th and 20th century physics, which have profoundly influenced generations of historians. He also made significant contributions to the history of relativity and quantum physics.
Researchers developed an experiment to measure the behavior of curling stones, revealing that wet friction is involved in their curl. The study found that a thin liquid layer reverses the dominant frictional force on the stone, resulting in a clockwise-turning stone curling to the right.
Gross and Frank Wilczek discovered asymptotic freedom, a force that grows stronger with distance, allowing for the calculation of experiment results. This finding has implications for experiments and provides clues to new physics beyond the Standard Model.
The Texas flagship universities will participate in the Giant Magellan Telescope Consortium to explore the universe's frontiers. The GMT will collect five times more light than the Hobby-Eberly telescope and produce images 10 times sharper, enabling groundbreaking discoveries about the origins of the universe.
Researchers propose a new theory linking neutrinos' slight mass to the accelerating universe expansion through dark energy and accelerons. The theory suggests that neutrinos interact with accelerons, resulting in a force that fuels the expansion of the universe.
Physicists from a global team at Boston University have discovered neutrino oscillation and mass, modifying the Standard Model. The findings show a prominent dip in atmospheric neutrino data consistent with the theory of neutrino mixing.
H. Eugene Stanley is honored for his innovative and original research on disordered systems, aggregation, and phase transitions. His work has also applied to complex networks, including those related to biology and terrorism.
The CDMS II experiment has narrowed the search for WIMPs, a type of dark matter particle. The results show that the interaction rate of a WIMP with ordinary matter should be less than one interaction every 25 days per kilogram of germanium.
V. Zakharov received the 2003 Dirac Medal of the ICTP for his groundbreaking work on mathematical physics of nonlinear phenomena, particularly in the field of weak wave turbulence. His research has significantly contributed to our understanding of plasma physics, hydrodynamics, magnetism, and optics.
Andrei Linde has been recognized with the Dirac Medal for his pioneering work in inflationary cosmology, which posits that the universe underwent a rapid expansion. His theory has already had notable observational successes and has become a paradigm for fundamental studies in cosmology.
The latest muon g-2 measurement provides a unique and unusually sensitive test of the validity of the general theory of electromagnetism or, equivalently, the Standard Model of particle physics. The result confirms earlier measurements with twice the precision, making this new measurement a much more sensitive test of the Standard Model.
Researchers developed a model predicting link distributions in web communities, revealing varying degrees of competition dominance across groups. The study may have implications for e-tailers and online commerce, with potential advantages for early adopters.
The study defines web communities as collections of pages with more links within than outside, and uses a maximum flow framework to efficiently identify them. Communities are found to be highly relevant and topically related, with applications in search engines, directories, and content filtering.
Researchers confirm a high degree of asymmetry between matter and antimatter, consistent with the Standard Model Theory. The finding sheds light on why the universe is made mostly of matter.
The universe consists mostly of mysterious dark matter and dark energy, which make up 95% of its mass. Ordinary matter accounts for only 5%, a finding confirmed by observations of the cosmic microwave background.
Frank Shu, a renowned expert in theoretical astrophysics and star formation, received the Dannie Heinemann Prize for his groundbreaking research on various topics including spiral structure, stellar dynamics, and planetary rings. The award recognizes his significant contributions to the field of astrophysics.
Ralph V. Chamberlin has successfully extended the mean-field theory of ferromagnetism to describe the behavior of ferromagnetic materials at lower temperatures, eliminating the need for an alternative theory. This breakthrough allows for the accurate description of ferromagnets in a wider range of temperatures.
Researchers at Georgia Tech, HP Labs, and UCLA receive the Feynman Prize in Nanotechnology for their work on building devices with atomic precision. The team, led by Uzi Landman and R. Stanley Williams, successfully created a molecular switch, a key step towards building entire memory chips at the nanoscale.
Sidney Drell, 74, has been honored with the Enrico Fermi Award for his work on arms control and particle physics. The award recognizes his pioneering research in quantum electrodynamics and his technical contributions to national security issues.
A researcher from University of Illinois claims that grip on the bat during contact with baseball has no effect on ball speed and trajectory. The study, demonstrated in theory and experiment, corrects coaching advice to relax grip during swing.
Materials professor Arthur Gossard and his students created a compound semiconductor for two unrelated experiments, one by Harvard and one by Chicago, which were published in the September 29 issue of Science magazine. The experiment involves creating pathways for electrons to improve conductivity.
Scientists from the Weizmann Institute of Science have shown that frequent observations do not freeze motion, but rather increase it. This contradicts Zeno's paradox, which suggested that repeated glimpses could stop an object in place.
University of Michigan physicists have created a database that stores and retrieves data in atomic quantum phase, a new approach to data storage. The study uses cesium atoms and ultrafast lasers to store and retrieve data, confirming theoretical predictions made by L.K. Grover.
Researchers at Purdue University are developing a silicon detector, Si3, to analyze subatomic particles and test the widely accepted standard model of physics. The detector will help investigate why the universe is predominantly made of matter rather than antimatter.
Brian Gerke, a 1999 Williams College graduate, has won the LeRoy Apker Award for his research on the effect of light on retinal molecules. His work could potentially help design optical computer memories and sensors.
John Moffat, a University of Toronto professor, proposes that the speed of light was not always constant but rather increased over time. This theory could help explain recent discoveries about the accelerating expansion of the universe and provide an answer to some cosmology problems.
Researchers at Case Western Reserve University have developed a new method of supershielding, allowing magnetic fields to be completely contained without using traditional shielding methods. This invention has the potential to protect modern technologies from interference and destruction.
The Hertz Foundation has awarded a $1 million endowment to establish an endowed professorship at UC Davis in recognition of Edward Teller's contributions to physics. Earnings from the endowment will support the chair's teaching, research, and administrative work.
The Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer (FUSE) will test the Big Bang theory and collect comprehensive observations of the Milky Way's star-forming regions. Launched on June 23 from Cape Canaveral Air Station, the three-year mission marks a first for an academic department in managing a satellite.
Researchers have revived a theoretical concept for faster-than-light travel by using a 'bubble' of warped space, which can be created with modest amounts of energy. The idea, inspired by Dr Who's Tardis, involves shrinking the departure point and expanding the destination, effectively transporting objects at faster-than-light speeds.
Recent experiments by physicists at the University of Notre Dame and Tohoku University have found that current theories describing turbulence may need modifications, particularly in extreme situations. The findings suggest that ultra-hard turbulence, a predicted state of turbulent flow, may not exist as previously thought.
Rocky Kolb will discuss the first second in the life of the universe, describing a hot primordial soup of 'elementary' particles. He explores how this soup has cooled and condensed into the cosmic structure we see today. Kolb's work is praised for its clarity and insight.
Physicists at Fermilab's KTeV experiment report a large and unexpected direct CP violation, ruling out the Superweak Theory. The finding exceeds previous expectations, raising questions about its accommodation within the Standard Model.
Physicist Janet Conrad is building an underground vat to trap oscillating neutrinos and observe their transformation into another type. The experiment aims to prove that neutrinos have mass, a discovery that has already shaken the physics world.
Physicists suggest MACHOs may be made of a weird kind of mirror matter generated in the big bang, with potential for mirror planets and organisms. This theory could explain the presence of invisible stars on the outskirts of our Galaxy.
Anthony Leggett, a professor of physics at the University of Illinois, has been named an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Physics. He was recognized for his fundamental contributions to theory of superfluidity in helium-3 and quantum mechanics of macroscopic systems.
Brown dwarf Cha Ha 1 is the youngest known member of the Chamaeleon dark cloud, with a mass of 4-5% of the Sun's mass and an age of one million years. Its X-ray emission was detected using the ROSAT satellite.
Researchers John Toner and Yuhai Tu develop a theory explaining how birds move as a single unit despite frequent misjudgments and limited visibility. By making analogies to physics phenomena like magnet alignment and fluid flow, they provide insights into other animal collectives and even auto traffic flow.
A team of physicists from the University of Washington has found evidence that subatomic particles known as neutrinos have mass. The discovery, made in a deep underground laboratory, suggests that muon-neutrinos are changing into other types, indicating they must have mass.
The National Academy of Sciences has elected 60 new members for their distinguished achievements in original research. The newly elected members include experts from top universities such as North Carolina State University, Columbia University, and Yale University.
Researchers at Ohio State University have developed a new model of atomic forces that may solve a long-standing problem in particle physics. The work aims to reconcile physicist Richard Feynman’s 1970s model of the proton with modern views of quark structure, simplifying equations and potentially aiding experimental calculations.
The American Institute of Physics hosts a major physics meeting in Columbus, featuring discussions and press conferences among attendees. Online abstracts and a virtual pressroom are also available on the APS website, providing access to meeting information, schedules, and related resources.
Gordon Kane highlights the importance of models in physics, citing Aristotle's flawed theory as an example. He emphasizes that scientists test multiple models against reality to determine which one is correct. The Standard Model of particle physics is a prime example, developed after decades of research and testing.
Researchers Mark Boslough and Randy Gladstone suggest that entry of ordinary meteoroids can form dark spots similar to those observed by satellites, contradicting a theory of frequent small comet bombardment. Their study provides evidence for the existence of high-altitude plumes generated by meteors.
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame have discovered a new subnuclear particle, an exotic meson, which is composed of quarks and antiquarks rather than just one type. The discovery was made possible by a high-energy particle experiment conducted at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Physicists have demonstrated that single photons and other quantum particles can store a maximum amount of readable information in the presence of noise and real-world disturbances. This finding provides insights into how little energy is required to store complex messages, advancing the idea that information is physical in nature.
Astronomers have detected radio emission from a cosmic gamma-ray burst using the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. The detection may help resolve one of the biggest mysteries in astrophysics, providing unprecedented knowledge about gamma-ray bursts and their parent objects.
Researchers found an unexpected orientation in space, measured through light polarization from distant galaxies. The 'corkscrew effect' indicates a universal axis that orients the universe.
Researchers at University at Buffalo demonstrate strongest evidence yet for reentrant superconductivity, a phenomenon where magnetic fields enhance superconductivity rather than destroy it. The findings have potential practical applications in energy storage and magnetic resonance imaging.
Researchers observed hundreds of thousands of high-energy collisions between protons and positrons, far exceeding expected statistical probabilities. The unexpected results may indicate new physics or a mistake in understanding what's inside the proton.
The Soviet nuclear program was a complex web of innovation, espionage, and human risk. The recent Dubna conference and new research shed light on the program's history, highlighting key breakthroughs and competing efforts between the US and USSR.
Toichiro Kinoshita's numerical integration method achieves the most accurate estimates of the fine structure constant to date. The result has a high statistical confidence, standing out from other values vying for acceptance as the next standard.
Scientists worldwide are building equipment to replicate the discovery of a new state of matter, known as the Bose-Einstein condensate. The condensate's properties have been studied extensively, with researchers making breakthroughs in understanding its behavior at extremely low temperatures.